


These Magic Moments

by Chainlocker



Series: It started out with a kiss (how did it end up like this) [2]
Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Accidental Voyeurism, Angst, Aphrodisiacs, Asra is a chaos child, Based on Songs, Based on a Tumblr Post, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Female Apprentice (The Arcana), Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gender Neutral Character, Gender-Neutral Apprentice (The Arcana), Genderfluid Character, Hurt/Comfort, I swear most of these are going to be sweet lil ficlets, Magical Aphrodisiacs, Masochism, Multi, Oral Sex, Polyamory, Sick Character, Sickfic, Smut, Some Humor, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex, and others are gonna be uh... ouch, but lmao whats new, only some Asrian tbh, that's a tag I didn't think I'd be adding lmao, whoops Verun and Julian didn't think things through
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-02
Updated: 2019-08-17
Packaged: 2020-07-29 02:22:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 17,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20074537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chainlocker/pseuds/Chainlocker
Summary: There's been a lot of small moments that makes her heart thrum with happiness, lots of small words shared that makes her breath catch in her throat. And she would never, ever forget, even if remembering everything would sometimes hurt.~~~A collection of Arcana ficlets that I've been working on when I need to take a break from my other huge writing project.





	1. Haircut

**Author's Note:**

> For right now uh. These are all with Verun, my genderfluid (she/they) character. If I make a male/gender neutral apprentice I'll probably throw some ficlets in with them as well.

Verun smiled at Julian, not entirely expecting to find him at the shop. Usually he closed his clinic pretty late, trying to help whoever he could before closing his door for the night. He glanced up at her and paused, blinking in confusion.

"Oh, did you get a haircut?"

She gave a cocky grin. "So observant. It had been growing out too much, especially with the heat recently."

Julian smirked back, shrugging. "Yknow, understandable."

"Do you… like it?" Her voice was kind of nervous, as she ran a hand through the longer hair on top. The back had been pretty much shaved around the base of her skull, left marginally longer higher up and on the sides, with a much longer portion top that all fell to the right of her head, framing her face. She hoped it looked good, if Julian had been calling her beautiful all this time, but she hadn't really gotten a haircut since they had started their relationship. All he had seen was the awkward length of hair where it was too short to rationalize a trip to get it cut but long enough that she was bothered by being able to grab her own hair.

But Julian's face split into an affectionate grin as she asked, and she relaxed a little. "Of course! You look great, Verun."

"Really?" Her smile grew, and she shook her head a little. "Here, I'll get dinner going. Maybe we can cuddle while it's cooking?"

He hopped up to his feet, giving her nose a playful peck, and started up the stairs. "I'll get the bed ready for us," he said eagerly, even as his long legs took the steps three at a time, carrying him to the top in seconds.

Verun smiled to herself, and turned to get something cooking for dinner. Maybe stew, so she could actually lay with Julian for a bit…

~~~

After their (<strike>completely innocent</strike>) cuddles and a dinner that was only interrupted once by a knock on the shop door, Verun sent Julian to bed while she made sure the wards were set up properly. Making her familiar rounds, she sighed with a soft smile, running her hand through her hair. Then up the stairs she went, finding Julian already snuggling his way into the pillows without so much as kicking off his boots.

She clicked her tongue and unbuckled his boots, leaning her weight into it as she tugged them off of his feet. Julian whined, but it turned into a giggle, and Verun smiled widely. It had become a game between them, Julian seeing how difficult he could be before Verun simply gave up on him or actually got his boots off. Tonight it seemed like his heart wasn't in it as much, and once his boots were off his shirt came off as well.

Then Verun stripped down to her underwear and simply crashed into the bed, face down in the pillows. "You should pet me," she mumbled, not caring how muffled her voice was. But Julian chuckled, and his fingers came up to brush through her hair. The feeling of his hand on the shortest hairs at the back of her neck made her shiver with a contented sigh. Previously it had only ever been Asra that would do this for her, the only one who was familiar with the sweet spots that would make her melt into a puddle of cuddly clinginess.

Julian hummed, his fingers tracing small circles at the back of her neck before they reached up, stroking softly up into her hair. Verun melted completely, starting to fall asleep there. But she wasn't close enough to him, so she turned to her side and plopped her arms over his bare torso, giving a wide yawn. Once she was comfortable and finished shifting around, Julian kissed her nose and her forehead, smiling at her. Verun was staring through barely cracked lids now, and even that was starting to fade more as her body called for her to sleep.

"I love you," Julian murmured, his lips against her forehead.

"Mm love you too," Verun drawled sleepily, before sleep finally crashed over her like a static wave.


	2. Night Whispers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julian sometimes can't sleep, so he ends up whispering the dark thoughts that run through his mind. Luckily, Verun is there to comfort him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sup yall I love Julian, he deserves the world
> 
> Also Verun has canonly taught Julian into sleeping mostly nude with her, because she needs that sweet sweet skin contact,,,

"I don't know what I did to deserve you."

Verun awoke to Julian's voice, whispered somewhere between the bare skin of her shoulder and the pillow. She didn't know what time it was, but the sky was still dark, without even the sort of unexplainable quiet that dawn had. Either way, her body didn't want to move, even if she had the will for it.

"I just hope that whatever I did is enough to keep you around… I'm so scared that I'll slip up, just once, and everything will come crashing down on me." Verun could feel as his fingers clenched into the bedsheets, not daring to touch her and possibly wake her. "You've taught me so much, Verun. So much. But I'm still scared, I still don't know what I'm doing with such a precious thing like you. It feels like if I trip, if I let you go, you'll be gone forever and I'm not- I'm not sure what would happen to me. Pasha, would she still stick with me over following you? I know everyone else would leave - Asra and Nadia - Mazelinka would probably welcome me back onto her ship, but for how long?"

Verun listened to his voice, and despite his words she was almost enchanted. Maybe it was the fact that she was almost deliriously tired, which didn't exactly happen  _ often, _ but often enough that Julian had gotten a few laughs from it before. But his voice was amazing, lightly accented by so many languages that it blended together into a concoction that she would never not find soothing. Thankfully, she was in fact coherent enough to listen to his words as well, even if her mind wandered. She was about to attempt to respond to him when he continued.

"You're so good to me, and I don't know _ how… _ everyone else that I've ever pushed away turned their backs on me, and I can't blame them for that. But I never expected you to show up again, not after everything I did to you. Not after that night on the docks. It's like I'm expecting this all to be a trick, expecting everyone to suddenly pull off their masks and laugh at how gullible I am."

This time Verun was able to muster up the will to speak, if only a little. "S' nah a…"

She felt Julian twitch, but he chuckled a little. He seemed a bit nervous, and placed a hand on her bare back. His fingers slid up and down her spine in soothing waves. "Sorry if I woke you, my dear."

Verun gave a jaw-cracking yawn and opened one eye to stare at him, her tongue working for a moment before she actually answered. "... It's not- a trick."

Julian froze a little, and even in the darkness she could see him flush, feel the growing warmth against her shoulder. "Ah. How long have you been awake?"

"Mm, dunno. How long have you been ranting?" She yawned again and turned, cuddling so close that their bodies were pressed together as much as they possibly could be. "But it's not a trick… and our friends aren't just going to leave you, they have their own relationships with you, even if something happens to me. Which, by the way, won't happen. I'm sticking around, dork. And as to what you did- Julian, you literally helped to save the world, I think that's enough. But that doesn't have to be enough, because you're charming and funny and really really adorable and I wanna keep you."

She squeezed her arms tight around him, as tight as she could while her body was still as tired as it was. He seemed a little shocked into silence, but that was okay because she had one more thing to say.

"And also your voice is really nice."

That sent an odd shudder through his chest, one that continued for a few moments before she was thoroughly confused. "Thank you?? I guess??" Then it occurred to her that he was laughing, trying his best to keep it silent even as giggles started to escape him.

She grinned and pressed a kiss to his shoulder. Julian shifted a bit and his arms wrapped around her, delicious skin contact making them both warm and comfortable.

"Thank you though, my dear Verun."

She hummed happily. "Anytime, Ilya~"


	3. Glimpses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Verun used to have... urges. Especially in the few months directly after whatever caused her to lose her memories before that. Urges that Asra always reacted oddly to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mmmmmhmhmhmhmhm. There you go, have ur angst. I'm just going to be putting out the first five or so stories I have written out in a mass-post thing I guess.

Verun remembered some small things. They were more impressions of anything, not even full memories.

Like the first time Asra brought pumpkin bread home to the shop. The visceral way her body reacted, the way she knew just what to do as she stumbled down the stairs at the first whiff she caught of the familiar spices. She knew how to sneak closer as Asra cut slices for the two of them, how to slip her arm around him to pluck off the end piece where the spices would be the most flavorful.

He had turned around with a playful look even as she tore the piece in half, putting one half in her mouth and then… stopping.

They had both stared at each other then, Asra's eyes swimming in hope that crumbled into hurt as she stood there, not sure what to do with the other half that she still held.

"Go on," he had murmured, his voice torn. "I'll have the other end."

Verun didn't understand why his voice sounded like that. It was still too early, she could only remember maybe a month of life. Everything else was lost to her, but she knew that she didn't like hearing him like that.

"As-hra?" Her voice still slurred through her words, like she wasn't able to control her lips properly.

But he stared anyway as she offered up the other half, shyly, not sure if he wanted it or not. But he had smiled, and  _ oh _ that smile made her chest feel light- and he took the stolen bread and popped it into his mouth before turning away to finish his task.

Half remembered feelings tugged her along to many things - like the way she foraged her way through the forest with Asra, until she found a pond he said the two of them used to visit often. Like the time she called out a name that felt remembered on her tongue, but completely foreign in her mind.

Like the way she woke up to him, leaning forward just enough to press a kiss to the very top of his spine.

What was unfamiliar was the way that he pulled her away from the pond, the way he quickly hid her away from the person she had called out to, the way his shoulders shook as he cried from her kiss, letting tears silently soak into the pillow and denying it later when she asked.

And that's what Asra was. Achingly familiar and somehow so new to her that Verun would've almost called him a stranger.


	4. What This Is

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What were they, after saving the world?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Julian still has some Big Feels left from Asra... unfortunately they're mostly Big Feels of abandonment so like. Rip my precious boy.

“So… what are we now?” Julian laid beside her, his eyes -  _ both _ beautiful eyes, no matter how he hated the plague-stained red - wandering over her face in the dimness.

The question made her throat feel like it was filled with something like blood. Why did it hit her so hard? Why did Julian have to ask? He was  _ hers _ and she was  _ his. _ Did there have to be a name to it? They had a relationship - of course they did, Verun wouldn’t let herself get so close to him if they didn’t - but the thought of calling Julian her boyfriend, being called his girlfriend, it felt… wrong, somehow.

She didn’t know how to answer with the sudden wave of wrongness flooding through her, but her hesitance made him uncertain for the entirely wrong reason.

A light in his eyes died quietly, his mouth opening like he wanted to fill the silence, fill the space between their naked bodies with words that didn’t have to sting the way his heart did. But her hands fumbled for his, keeping him close and bringing his hands up to her lips. She pressed kisses to his knuckles, his palms, following the fine bones in his wrist in her breathlessness.

“Do we need to make a name for it?” She finally forced out. “I love you… that’s all I need.”

And his eyes glistened for a moment, his hands pulling away only to wrap his arms around her and press them close, close enough to feel every inch of skin between them.

“I love you too, Verun. I love you, I love you.”

“My lover, my love.”

That was a name. Unconventional, but it was a name, one that worked.


	5. Deserving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julian still can't really remember what Verun was to him, before she died. Asra is there to explain, whether he likes the answer or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hhhh have some custom pre-canon stuff <3

“I was the one that brought her back.”

Julian heard his whisper, but his head felt heady, drunk on confusion and too much of whatever incense was floating along on the air. Verun- she had died, he knew that. She had been working in his clinic during the plague, she had sent him logs every once in a while letting him know what had happened.

But- it felt wrong, a foreign concept in his mind, even if there was a shadow of realization. That Verun had been his, before the plague. That the two of them had been _engaged,_ before everything had happened, that they had spent so long together that he had forgotten all about.

“How?” His voice broke, even as Asra’s amethyst eyes bored holes into his skull. He was still processing what he had been told before, he couldn’t even think about the fact that Asra was the one that had brought her back.

“I gave up half my heart for her, Ilya. I gave it up, I ripped myself in two and- damn it all,  _ I _ was the one that made sure she was alright. I’ve been taking care of her while you’ve been off on your adventures!”

He knew that bite of poison in Asra’s voice. Memories flickered at the back of his mind, even as a headache flared horribly. Jealousy, quiet but burning. He had seen the way Asra tried so hard to force it down before, the way he kept it all nicely folded away behind in his eyes to avoid hurting the people around him. To avoid hurting  _ her, _ Verun. He had told Julian something, once, but he couldn’t  _ remember- _

“You don’t deserve her,” Asra snapped at his silence. But then his voice stuttered in his chest, and it looked like the magician was tearing himself apart once more as his words became softer. “Neither of us do, but she still-”

“She made her choice, Asra,” Julian hissed between his teeth, his head pounding as memories poured in. “She made it once, and she made it again-  _ fuck.” _ He held his head between his hands, bowing over in pain.

Then there was a hand on his head, and he was sure the fingers would tug,  _ pull _ at his hair to force him back up. But instead he heard Asra murmur something he couldn’t make out over the pounding rush of blood in his ears.

And then the pounding stopped. His ears were ringing, but the pain was gone and Julian slid down the display case behind him to sit on the cool, smooth stone floor. Asra stood before him, his face disturbingly devoid of emotion.

“You left her too,” Julian said, voice shaking.

“Yes.” Asra nodded, a tear streaking down his face despite the lack of emotion on his face, in his voice. “I was able to spend a few weeks with her, before…”

Before she caught the plague. Before Asra was too late in coming back to stop her from being taken to the Lazaret.

Verun had loved both of them, even before she died. They had both loved her, before they lost her. And Asra was the one to sacrifice himself to bring her back, while Julian sacrificed the memories of her in an attempt to save everyone else.

He really didn’t deserve her.


	6. Dance Your Heart Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julian is a nerd who can't turn down the chance to dance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boop bop, take some fluff before I get back to my angst shit.

Julian grinned, and for a moment Verun wasn’t sure what about. But then it occurred to her that she had been humming the same tune to herself, trying to remember what the next few lines of music were. The music that had been playing at the Masquerade, or at least some of the songs that the two of them had danced to. The music that they had danced on tables to.

Her voice cut off in her throat and she looked away with a blush. “What’s with that grin, Ilya?”

“Oh, nothing. Just good memories.” He laughed and kissed her cheek. “Do you think Nadia would be terribly offended if we visited her soon? It’s been a little since I’ve seen Portia.”

“Your sister came down just a few days ago,” Verun said, grinning back at him. “But if you  _ insist, _ I don’t think the Countess would mind too much.”

“Maybe we can get some music going, dance like that again.”

Verun let out a surprised noise as Julian grabbed her hands and hauled her out of her seat, twirling into a dance to whatever music he had in his own mind. One arm wrapped around her waist, the other holding onto her hand as he led her along. She was kind of put off by the lack of music, but after a moment she started humming that song again, and Julian was able to continue it - maybe not too terribly successfully, but it was enough for Verun to jog her memory and keep it going.

Eventually they ended up just barely swaying together in the clear space in the shop. Julian rested his chin on top of her head as she pressed her face into his chest, comfortable in the circle of his arms.

This is what she had been dreaming, whether or not she actually knew it before. She just wanted to be able to stand with someone, tucked against them, comfortable enough to fall asleep on her feet.

But then the door opened, and she was forced to raise her head and smile at the customer that walked in, beckoning them in even as they paused.

“Sorry, no, you didn’t interrupt anything, what did you need?”

Verun could feel Julian’s eyes on her as she dealt with the customer, and her heart felt warm.


	7. JULIAN I SWEAR TO GOD

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julian is dumb and sick. Asra only kinda helps. Verun is having A Day™

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They're cute, goddammit. Also it's a they/them day for Verun, just to avoid confusion. Genderfluid-ness is fun.

“Take the medicine, Julian.”

Asra smiled, hearing his apprentice upstairs with their lover. The two of them had been going strong for a while now, ever since their expedition into the Arcana realms. And now, it seemed, their dear doctor was sick and refusing to take his medicine.

He heard wordless whining from Julian before Verun groaned in annoyance. “Yes! I know it doesn’t taste good but you still need to take it…. Now you’re just being a child. No. NO.”

Then their voice became louder in response to Julian’s whining raising in volume as well. A thump and a shout from Verun later and suddenly there was the rapid beat of heavy footsteps rushing down the stairs.

“GET BACK HERE JULIAN. YOU CAN’T JUST RUN AWAY FROM THIS!”

Julian appeared at the base of the stairs, his eyes wide and wild, and noticeably missing his pants. “Asra! Help meeee, Verun is being meeeaaan!” He stumbled over to the magician, nose running as he tried to hide behind the other man.

Asra sidestepped away from him with a look, not particularly wanting to get snot and sweat stained into his clothes. “Julian, if you touch me, I  _ will _ pin you down.”

Verun appeared at the bottom of the stairs, their hair ruffled. They had a tiny vial in clutched in their hand, and they were already breathing hard from the effort of trying to hold Julian down.  _ “Don’t _ tempt him,  _ please!” _

Julian huffed and held up a hand, still standing somewhat near Asra. “H-hey, I…”

And then his eye rolled back in his head and he fell, forcing the white-haired magician to catch him, getting snot and sick-sweat on his shirt anyway. Asra sighed, hauling Julian’s limp body up and over his shoulder as much as he could.

“How long has he been sick?” His eyes landed on Verun, watching them run a hand through their hair.

“It was just a bit of a sniffle and a cough last night, he’s just been too fucking stubborn about not taking the medicine I made because ‘he’s a doctor, he can handle a bit of a fever.’” They raised their hands and shook them slightly, giving a bastardized impression of Julian that they had definitely picked up from the doctor.

Asra smiled a bit, trying to not stumble under the weight of the man he held. “Well, let’s get him up to bed and we’ll figure out a way to get it into his system.”

Verun grinned back, helping him shoulder Julian in whatever way they could. “Yeah, that sounds good. Nice to have you back, Asra.”


	8. So this BITCH (BTP)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julian is salty because people talk shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TFW you have to struggle to choose between posting what you've written and waiting to post stuff in kind of chronological order. I think I'm starting to give up on writing in any sort of order, so uh.
> 
> This is BTP, or Before The Plague. More stuff on this will be included in later dates, indicated by (BTP) in the chapter title :3 I have my own lore for my apprentice before the plague.

“So this  ** _BITCH_ ** across the street said that my dog was barking all day! First off, my pup is docile as HELL and doesn’t bark ever. In fact, she’s never done anything wrong in her life ever, she’s an  _ angel-” _

Verun raised an eyebrow and looked over at Julian as he threw himself dramatically into his favorite reading chair, making his back pop audibly with the force of the landing. “Didn’t Brundle throw up on the carpet yesterday? And didn’t you call her an overgrown rat for that?”

Julian huffed and draped a hand over to where Brundle usually laid, scratching down her back with one hand. The old dog barely raised her head for a moment and let out a huff, as lazy as ever. “Only I can be annoyed with my dog. Nobody else,” he said petulantly. “And I guess  _ you, _ cause you’re  _ you, _ but no one else.”

“Not even Asra?” She smirked as he pouted, folding his arms over his chest.

“Not even Asra. Her feelings are sensitive.”

“Uh-huh.” Verun laughed. “You know, you sound like you’re talking about your child, right?”

Julian gave an offended gasp like the drama queen he was, even as a grin started to break through his annoyance. “Verun, I thought that you would know by now! She  _ is _ my child!”


	9. Sacrifice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One of the more serious arguments that Asra and Julian have had about Verun... Asra starts handing out the real heavy hits. Julian always ends up broken and hurt, realizing how much he doesn't deserve her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sup yall this is the beginning of my ~custom~ background stuff for Verun. Have fun, I aim to break hearts. At least my own, lmao.

“I was the one that brought her back.”

Julian heard his whisper, but his head felt heady, drunk on confusion and too much of whatever incense was floating along on the air. Verun- she had died, he knew that. She had been working in his clinic during the plague, she had sent him logs every once in a while letting him know what had happened.

But- it felt wrong, a foreign concept in his mind, even if there was a shadow of realization. That Verun had been his, before the plague. That the two of them had been together, lovers, before everything had happened, that they had spent so long together that he had forgotten all about.

“How?” His voice broke, even as Asra’s amethyst eyes bored holes into his skull. He was still processing what he had been told before, he couldn’t even think about the fact that Asra was the one that had brought her back.

“I gave up half my heart for her, Ilya. I gave it up, I ripped myself in two and- damn it all,  _ I _ was the one that made sure she was alright. I’ve been taking care of her while you’ve been off on your adventures!”

He knew that bite of poison in Asra’s voice. Memories flickered at the back of his mind, even as a headache flared horribly. Jealousy, quiet but burning. He had seen the way Asra tried to hard to force it down before, the way he kept it all nicely folded away behind in his eyes to avoid hurting the people around him. To avoid hurting  _ her, _ Verun. He had told Julian something, once, but he couldn’t  _ remember- _

“You don’t deserve her,” Asra snapped at his silence. But then his voice stuttered in his chest, and it looked like the magician was tearing himself apart once more as his words became softer. “Neither of us do, but she still-”

“She made her choice, Asra,” Julian hissed between his teeth, his head pounding as memories poured in. “She made it once, and she made it again-  _ fuck.” _ He held his head between his hands, bowing over in pain.

Then there was a hand on his head, and he was sure the fingers would tug,  _ pull _ at his hair to force him back up. But instead he heard Asra murmur something he couldn’t hear over the pounding rush of blood in his ears.

And then the pounding stopped. His ears were ringing, but the pain was gone and Julian slid down the display case behind him to sit on the cool, smooth stone floor. Asra stood before him, his face disturbingly devoid of emotion.

“You left her too,” Julian said, voice shaking.

“Yes.” Asra nodded, a tear streaking down his face despite the lack of emotion on his face, in his voice. “I was able to spend a few weeks with her, before…”

Before she caught the plague. Before Asra was too late in coming back to stop her from being taken to the Lazaret.

Verun had loved both of them, even before she died. They had both loved her, before they lost her. And Asra was the one to sacrifice himself to bring her back, while Julian sacrificed all the memories of her in an attempt to save everyone else.

Damn. He really didn’t deserve her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyway I promise I love Julian, but my heart yearns for angst


	10. Frustration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asra can't help but tease Julian into a frenzy of annoyance... even if he feels some frustration over his own inability to stop himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't Asrian stuff, sorry yall. But I'll get to that stuff later on.

Asra didn’t even know what started this fight in particular. There was just  _ tension _ in the air, everywhere, choking the life out of whatever had happened. It wasn’t fair to keep coming around like this, he knew, but when Verun asked him there wasn’t any way that he would turn it down.

So now him and Julian stood, feeling almost like they were chest to chest as they glared daggers at each other. Verun wasn’t here to calm them down - she had asked Asra to keep an eye on the shop for the day while she went to the palace, and Julian had come home after closing up his clinic, like always. Asra should have left when Julian walked in, but he still had that  _ infuriating _ itch to annoy the doctor, tease him into a frenzy until he broke.

He didn’t know why he kept playing this game.

Especially when he knew that Verun hated it.

“Are you  _ done, _ Asra?” Julian nearly snarled his name, and as much as he hated it Asra found it so,  _ so _ amusing. The doctor had always looked so attractive when he bared his teeth.

“I’m not sure,” Asra said cooly. “Are  _ you _ done? All worn out, Ilya?”

Julian’s hands clenched, like he was about to hit the magician. But Asra knew better, he knew that if either of them laid a hand on the other, if they left marks, Verun would have both their heads.

“If only you weren’t such an idiot. Maybe we could have nice things.”

That sentence felt like a slap to the face, an ice cold rush of water. Asra blinked as Julian turned and stalked away, his entire body tense as he made his way up the stairs to the living area above. He didn’t move, his arms still crossed over his chest.

There was frustration, of course. With Julian there always was. The frustration of watching him shove his foot into his mouth when his temper flared, the way immediately after he dunked himself into a fathomless pool of despair. But there was always just a touch of guilt on Asra’s part. Because he knew better, or at least he should have. He used to be able to read people so well, he used to be able to tease them without going too far and actually making them angry. But now his innocent trickster ways were slightly skewed. And with Julian it was only worse because of the history between them.

With a sigh he padded over to the couch that was meant for customers to sit on, though it was rarely used. He threw himself down with a heavy sigh and threw an arm over his eyes. Maybe someday he could actually fix things between him and Julian, but for now he was more likely to give into the frustration.


	11. Getting Along

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, the two of them figure their shit out... in other words, Asra finally breaks his habits and actually apologizes, and Julian can't not be a soft boy with him even if he's still kinda annoyed. Verun gets home and fluff and happy tears happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eeeeeee I love them. Verun can't choose between the two boys, so like. She doesn't have to.
> 
> Also for clarification: after the events of the game, Verun still has a very affectionate relationship with Asra that Julian just kinda feels like he doesn't have the right to ask to stop, as long as he's like... yknow, still hers and still getting love. Which he does. But now, opening ways into poly land ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

“Do you realize how much you broke me?” Julian’s eyes were wet, desperate without even knowing why. He just  _ hurt, _ his heart aching even as he felt like his body was ripped apart. “Between all the magic and the mist, and somewhere between everything you  _ broke me _ and  _ left me, _ just wishing that you would come back.”

Asra looked shaken, if Julian had ever seen him like that. Those soft lips of his were parted slightly even as they tried to form around words that slipped past too quickly to be heard. But he was so  _ tired _ of standing there, being the one stuck waiting for something to happen to him. So Julian turned away, his hands coming up to grab at his hair and  _ tug, _ like the pain and the pressure would steady him any more. He wanted Verun to come home already, settle the argument between the two of them like she usually did.

He didn’t even know why she put up with him, with the arguments that started behind her back between the two people she cared for most. A lover and a master, the two people closest to her. And they couldn’t even get along, not even for her. Not when they were alone.

But then arms wrapped around Julian’s waist, and he felt a head that was achingly familiar rest between his shoulder blades.

“I… I’m sorry, Ilya.” Asra’s hands gently grabbed onto the front of the doctor’s shirt, and he was so close Julian could feel his breath shake in his chest. “All of that, it was… I led you on in ways I never should have, because I was hurting, and in the moments we stole together it didn’t hurt as bad. So I was selfish, taking advantage of your interest in me.”

But that was all things that Julian already knew. He knew that Asra had led him on, had used his body for his own pleasure and his own means, barely scraping the surface of his emotions. Because Asra had only ever been there for Verun, and while Julian couldn’t fault him for everything that had happened, he couldn’t help but think that it was  _ unfair,  _ for all of them in the long run.

Still, his body didn’t get the message even as his head still swam in annoyance edging on anger. Neither did his voice, weak and hurt when it came out of him. “Can’t we just… get along? It doesn’t seem like it should be so hard to do, especially for…”

“For Verun.” Asra sighed, and Julian could feel the deep breath he took. “We do really need to get over ourselves, our old quarrels. If only for Verun, so she can be happy.”

Julian nodded, and as the magician released him he turned and pressed a single, light kiss on Asra’s forehead. Just like he would do for Verun, the rare times that they argued. Which recently, had mostly been about the tension between him and Asra. He knew that he wasn’t the only one getting those talks-turned-argument, not when he saw Asra shuffle out of the shop just before he came in from his walks, head held down and an embarrassed flush on his face.

Asra leaned into it for a moment, letting his head drop to Julian’s chest after a moment. The two of them stayed there for a moment, just a moment of a familiar aching comfort at the back of both of their thoughts. Julian remembered coming here for his own reasons, when he didn’t realize what had happened to Verun when her logs stopped coming in - when he thought this place was  _ Asra’s. _ Before the night of the Count’s death, before the sacrifice that Asra gave to return Verun to the living world. Or at least that’s what he remembered from those twisted times, from the memories that were taken from him.

He laughed suddenly, a hum beneath his skin that had him wrapping around Asra’s shoulders with a dumb smile. “I swear, things just keep coming full circle, don’t they?”

Asra let out a quiet snort and nodded, not bothering to lift his face from Julian’s chest. “I guess they do.”

~~~

When Verun came home and saw the lights still on in the first level, she braced herself to the mess of tension that usually followed the fights Julian and Asra had. Usually by this time, one of them had found their way to the bed upstairs and the other would be passed out on the couch. She would give a light kiss to the one on the couch before joining whichever one had claimed the bed, settling in silently and trying not to give away her displeasure. She didn’t like being angry at her boys, no matter how dumb their fights were.

But as she quietly opened the door, she was pleasantly surprised to find  _ both _ of them on the couch, Julian’s lanky form stretched out along the length with his head in Asra’s lap.

Thankfully she was quiet enough in opening and closing the door that she didn’t bother either of them in their sleep, so she crept over the smooth cobble floor and leaned over to press a kiss to Asra’s cheek. As his amethyst eyes blinked open, still bleary from his nap, she pressed a finger to his lips to keep him quiet. She was glad that he didn’t just jump up and immediately disturb Julian out of the calm rest he seemed to be having, and she dipped her head down to leave a lingering kiss at his temple.

“Julian?”

He stirred a little, giving a small hum as his long limbs twisted around and tried to grab her down to him. But Verun stood her ground, trying to not fall over both him and Asra, and she gave a laugh.

“Julian, love, wake up for a minute. Let’s get up to bed.”

He grumbled before sitting up, sleepily blinking in the light. “Nnn, but I was comfy.”

Verun laughed quietly as he used her to haul himself up to his feet. “Trust me, your back will thank me later… Asra, are you going to join us?” She knew that look from Asra, the one that was hoping without daring to ask, needy for some sort of affection. It wasn’t as intense as Julian’s neediness, but she didn’t like having to choose between them. And if they were alright with cuddling on the couch, hopefully…?

Both men stiffened up for a long moment - honestly Verun almost let it go and led Julian up to bed alone despite her hope that the two of them had finally figured themselves out - before Asra nodded shyly and let her wrap an arm around his waist. With Julian’s arm slung over her shoulders, the three of them trooped up the stairs, stumbling and bursting into laughter at the hilarious sight of Verun trying to drag two men bigger than herself along. But then they all fell into the bed and as usual she had her game with Julian, tugging his boots off as he squirmed, and she had her pre-bed banter with Asra, stories and dreams and thoughts of the day. Jokes flew through the air from all three of them, feeling shy but familiar, Julian sitting up on the bed with the magician as Verun sat on the floor after she took off the doctor's boots.

Asra was swatting at Julian’s shoulder playfully for a pun the doctor made when a sudden, overwhelming warmth overtook her, filling her chest with such affection that she couldn’t breathe for a moment. Their forms up on the bed blurred and she tried to blink and wipe the tears away before one or both of them noticed, but it happened anyway.

Then there were hands on her shoulders, holding her hands and urging her up into the bed until she was surrounded by comfort. She could feel Julian’s forever chilled hands clasped in her own, Asra’s smooth hands running through her hair and down her neck as she cried.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Asra cooed quietly, calming her.

Verun nodded quickly, pressing the backs of Julian’s hands to her eyes as a laugh bubbled up her throat through the quiet sobs. “It is! This is-” a hiccuping sob interrupted her, but didn’t stop her for long. “It’s perfect, you two.”

Julian kissed her forehead and Verun felt Asra’s face buried against her shoulder. It just felt so  _ right, _ to be surrounded by the two of them. Both sides of her past - the one that she had with Julian, where she was sure she had fallen in love with him, where she only had brief flashes of half-remembered moments that reawakened at odd moments - and the one with Asra, three years of care and unconditional love, three years and how many more beyond the veil of missing memories. She didn’t know the past that she had behind them, and even between Julian and Asra it was a struggle to get any stories out of them. But she knew without a doubt that she loved both of them, even as she sometimes struggled to figure out the relationship that they all had.

Her tears didn’t last for long, but after her long day at the palace trying to split her focus so many ways, she was exhausted. But she was comfortable at least, tucked between her boys.

Julian wiped away her tears, pressing kisses to her reddened cheeks, and Asra pressed shy kisses to her neck.

“Thanks, guys,” she murmured, a crooked grin taking over her features. “Sorry for crying like that, I’m just… happy, I guess.”

Asra laughed, his arms wrapping around her waist. “It’s fine, Verun. I’m just glad you’re here.”

“I promise, nothing was broken while you were gone.” Julian grinned back at her, his hands taking their turn in her hair as he leaned closer and pressed light, teasing kisses all over her face. “We’re both glad- that you’re happy, that is.”

“... Ahh, my boys are finally getting along!” She gave a tiny squeal as her emotions turned more excited, washing over her, and proceeded to pull Julian over her, squishing Asra under their combined weight. He didn’t seem to mind much, his voice squeezed out in short, forceful laughs.

It devolved into giggles from all three of them once again, but eventually Verun managed to detangle herself from the two of them, laying with her head on the pillow as she reached out to them.

“Cmere, it is time for  _ sleep, _ you hooligans.”

Julian was the first to flop down beside her, an arm draping across her middle as he faceplanted into the pillows. Then Asra nestled in on her other side, his leg coming up and over to lay over her thighs. She was partially buried in blankets and pillows and her loves, and Verun was happier than she thought she would ever be.

Asra put out the lights with a murmur of magic that rippled through her and the rest of the room, and within minutes they were all asleep.


	12. Shotgun (Modern!AU)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a small snippet of summer for Julian and Verun walking down the street to get a bit of a sweet treat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is Shotgun by George Ezra, cause I've been listening to it a lot and I,,,, adore it. Top notch summer song for me.

Julian felt like his chest was actually going to explode. He watched Verun dance down the street as cars whirred by, her bluetooth speaker held in her hand. In all honesty he wasn’t entirely sure what music she was playing at the moment, but it was all upbeat songs that fit the sort of summer vibes her clothes gave off. It was rare for her to dress more feminine, but it was a treat to him to see her grin like that.

He had to pick up the pace to keep up with her quick steps, watching her spin along. She just looked so  _ happy _ like that.

Then she turned as the song switched, staring at him and walking backwards with a smirk playing on her lips. Her voice dropped a couple of octaves like it did sometimes, her hips swaying as she sang the deep, smooth notes.

“Homegrown alligator, see you later, gotta hit the road, gotta hit the road~”

Ah, this was one that Julian had heard before. A song that Verun had recently been playing a lot around the house, turning up the volume until the bass of it made the collection of small baubles in the living room vibrate.

Not that that was a thing special to this song, anyways. Verun was always playing her music loud whenever she could.

Julian grinned, watching her sing those low notes that someone like her shouldn’t seem able to hit. He was nearly spaced out when she bounded forward and grabbed his hands, dragging him into her dancing, speeding their way along the street to get to the shaved ice stand that they were planning on going to.

“I’ll be riding shotgun, underneath the hot sun, feeling like a someone~”

And  _ god _ she was beautiful like this.


	13. Lover's Weekend (BTP)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Verun is left alone to take care of the shop during lover's weekend. After losing the candles she wanted to save for her and Julian, a small breakdown occurs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lover's weekend is basically just a weekend-long version of Valentine's day, because I said so. Yeet. 
> 
> Set before the plague.

Verun was  _ tired. _ Like, 'don't touch me or you'll lose your hand tired'. Or the 'if anybody raises their voice at me even a little I will cry' sort of tired. Her aunt was out for the weekend and she was put in charge of taking care of all the orders that came in. And, based on the fact that it was the lover's weekend, it was busy. Everybody wanted something for their significant others, something for luck to find a date for the festivities,  _ something.  _ And Asra, like he always did on celebration weekends recently, had disappeared and left her without even that help.

So she spent the week grinding herbs, her fingers blistered and sore even while Julian carefully kept them wrapped in bandages. Candles, potions, incense, teas, and anything else people could possibly ask for. And she spent the weekend dealing with frantic customers that had come in late, having to turn away the last few that came in too late to get even her stock of pre-made items.

And now that the last night of the rush was over, she was  _ tired _ beyond reason. But she had one thing that she did for herself - and for Julian, of course.

So, she closed the shop for the night when the celebrations were finally running low. The sign in the window was flipped to say CLOSED and she put everything back in its meticulous place. The shelves that had previously been full of love potions and lusty candles and passion incenses were empty, but Verun had just one left.

She opened one of the many drawers behind the display cases and shuffled her hand around, looking for the candles she had made for her and Julian in mind.

And then her fingertips grazed the back.

So she shuffled through again, a little more frantic this time, thinking her mind was just tired and her fingers missed the feeling of the waxed paper she had wrapped them in.

And again, one last time to make sure.

Of course, they weren't there.

Then Verun turned, feeling frantic. She had put them in there, for sure. Absolutely. She had wrapped them with a tag trapped in the string, 'to my love', and now it was just gone?? How could that be? Did someone snatch them when she wasn't looking? That thought nearly made her sob, the exhausted, strained part of her mind finally just snapping.

So she sat down on the cool stone floor and cried, because she was an adult and could do that. She was hidden from the windows, no one would see her sitting with her head in her hands like a lonely girl forgotten on the lover's weekend.

Until the door opened, and she hurriedly wiped her face and tried to stand, words to turn away an errant customer on her tongue.

"Verun? Oh, my sweet, what's wrong?"

She nearly let herself collapse again when she heard Julian's voice, leaning into his chest as another, guilty sob rushed through her. His arms wrapped around her tightly and he pressed kisses into her hair, silent with his own confusion but always ready to comfort her. She shook and shuddered against him until all her embarrassed tears ran out.

Then she leaned back, wiping her face with a tiny, unamused laugh. "Sorry, Ilya… I'm just tired."

He smiled and ran his hands through her hair, his skin soft. "It's alright, love. You've had one hell of a week, I'm sure you're exhausted."

She nodded and he put a hand on her cheek, leading her forward until their lips met. They stood there for a moment, and Verun remembered why she was so upset in the first place. She almost started crying again as she pulled away, giving a sigh that was almost a sob.

"Jeez, I'm-" She let go of him and scrubbed her hands over her face. "Gah, I shouldn't be crying, they were only candles."

"Hmm?" Julian blinked, confused as she started rambling.

"I just. I made candles, lust candles, for the two of us? I thought it would be nice to have a night like everyone else for ourselves since we didn't get to last year- but I guess someone must have snatched them when I wasn't looking, or maybe I accidentally sold them and-"

"... These?" Julian shuffled around his pockets for just a moment before pulling out a somewhat rumpled package out of his pocket, looking sheepish.

But there they were, just how Verun had wrapped them (give or take a few wrinkles). She was dumbfounded, staring at the bundle to switch her gaze to his face and back.

"I-"

"Guess we kind of had the same thought? I wanted to steal some time away with you and I saw the package when I was over here last time, but I thought they were some that you forgot to put on the shelves or something but-"

Verun started laughing, watching as Julian's face only started growing more red in his own embarrassment. But she swiped the package away, stuffing it in one of her own pockets, and stepped forward to kiss him soundly. That shut up his rambling, his now empty hand coming around to cradle her head as he pulled her closer.

Their kisses turned heavy, heady, before Verun pulled away and smiled at him. "Lets get home before we start anything at the shop, Ilya."

He grinned and took her hand, their fingers lacing together as he tugged her towards the shop door. "Yes, let's."

It was certainly going to be a night to remember, if it was starting with a smirk like that.


	14. Lover's Weekend (pt. 2) (BTP)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Verun and Julian get rowdy. Asra... fuckin dies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Upping the rating for this chapter, lmao. These people be fuckin, even if I uh. Skipped over 95% of it, lmao.
> 
> Does it count as voyeurism if it's only audible stuff/its unintentional? Questions to ask, lmao.

Verun gave just a touch of magic, and all the candles that her and Julian had set up throughout the room lit up at once. Eight small, red-pink-white swirled candles that would be rather unassuming if it weren't for the golden wax stamps at the base of them, giving them magical ability.

The ability of lust candles, of course, was to spread a sort of magical aphrodisiac in the room. Most couples would maybe buy some soon after marriage for their honeymoon, giving their nights a new passion. Or couples would buy them for lover's weekend and light two or three at a time to make their night interesting. Verun had even heard of people lighting a single one when they brought someone they wanted to woo over - not enough to make them sex drunk, but to maybe encourage any feelings the other might have.

Verun and Julian, at the moment, had all eight of the candles that she had made for the package lit. The past week that she had spent working on her own had been exhausting, and dear  _ god, _ she just wanted to let go for a few hours. Or the whole night, if they could.

Julian glanced around the room from his spot on the bed, thighs barely spread in a comfortable lounging position. He still had his clothes on, but he looked a little… not cautious, but maybe a little weirded out by the candles as they started giving off a pink smoke.

"So, love. I've never actually… used these sorts of candles before. What do they do, exactly?"

Verun smiled at him and pulled her shirt off with a happy sigh, glad to start getting out of her clothes. Stripping for bed was always her favorite part of the day, especially when Julian was there to cuddle with. "They're lust candles, Ilya. Think of it as a magical aphrodisiac."

He blinked at her, his pupils dilating slightly. Maybe he was already starting to feel it. Verun hadn't quite gotten a whiff of the sweet smoke yet, but she was patient enough for now.

"Aphrodisiac, huh… and what do you plan on doing to me tonight, my love?" He slid his hands over his thighs and up to her hips, his soft fingertips giving way to calloused palms.

"Mmm, I was going to ask you that." She sighed and leaned down to him, pressing her lips to his. "I wanted you to take control tonight, I'm tired after all… and it'll be a treat for you."

He gave a dark grin as Verun finally felt that tickle of arousal in her chest and down between her thighs. The candles were working, and they were working  _ well. _ Verun could see it in Julian's eyes as well, the flicker of recognition as he felt the unnaturally intense flutter in his gut. His hands roamed over what skin he could reach, undoing the binder that held her breasts in place and tossing it aside. She could see the blush gathering in his face, more from lust than embarrassment, feel the heat of his body as his blood started rushing.

Then he pushed up, and Verun found herself on her back as he hovered over her, one arm holding himself up as his other hand ran down her belly. She let out a soft noise, feeling herself start to burn as the sweet, heady smell of the candle smoke focused her mind completely on the feelings around her. The feeling of Julian's cold hands on her warm skin, the brush of the sheets around her, the way her body sink into the mattress. It was amazing. Julian's hand made its way down into her pants, fingers brushing the inside of her thighs, closer but not quite where she wanted them. Her hips barely canted upwards in an attempt to try to lead him there, but he was persistent and avoided giving into the movement with an annoying deftness.

And  _ oh, _ if it was going to be a night like that, Julian was going to be a sweet, sweet torturer. She forgot how much she liked it when he took over. It wasn't like Verun forced him to be a bottom at all, in fact when they first started having sex he had to coax her into taking control, but when she had him top her it was a fun change in their routine. Julian had an amazing drive to please her, and even when they switched roles for the night he was an attentive listener - always ready to change the little details to make everything just a bit better for her. (Verun could only hope that she was just as good of a partner.)

Julian leaned forward to kiss her, and her eyes slid closed with a moan at the tip of her tongue. He made the kiss  _ dirty, _ but so gentle and caring that Verun was sent for a loop as his tongue traced along hers, biting at her lips without a care for his tongue between his teeth. And as his fingers slowly slid closer and then into her, she let out a quiet keen that had him pulling back, his other hand raking nails through her hair and making her gasp for air. She was so fucking  _ sensitive, _ everywhere, it was like she could feel the grooves of his fingerprints and each chip in his nails, on her and  _ in _ her.

Those candles really were something.

Verun arched her back with a cry as Julian's fingers pressed down inside her, rubbing and relentlessly pumping until there were waves of heat rushing through her. She was aware of him murmuring something to her but there was a sort of barrier in her mind, keeping her focused on the pleasure being given, forcing her farther,  _ farther- _

And suddenly an orgasm ripped through her and she was reduced for a moaning, quaking mess for a minute. It was intense, fire burning through her veins as Julian's hands and lips stilled. It felt like she couldn't see, until she realized that her eyes had squeezed shut on their own and she opened them again to see Julian with his pupils blown wide, wider than she had ever seen and maybe would ever see again. His irises were just the barest of silver rings around pools of lusty black, glittering like a ring of promise for the night to come.

"Gods," he whispered, his voice nearly a wheeze. "You're so beautiful."

And a wave of what would normally be a trickle of delighted arousal washed down her body, making it respond to even his slight movements as his hands again started their work. But Verun, as much as she couldn't complain about the treatment, wanted more than just fingers and maybe a talented tongue between her legs. Her hands gripped at his biceps as she gasped and shuddered, her lips parting only for a quiet moan to rip out of her once more.

She sort of curled her body up to grab him, dragging him closer with the weight of her body. “God, come  _ here, _ Ilya.”

He hummed darkly, his lips meeting her neck. The scrape of his teeth on her skin was almost too much, making her cry out as her body shuddered with intensity. “Yes, my dear?”

“Ilya, I need you-” she shivered again, fingernails digging hard into his shoulders and making him groan in return. “Please, god, there’s too many-”

He hummed and retreated from her for a moment, just to give her a good view as he pulled his shirt off. The sight made her shiver with anticipation, as he seemed to go as slowly as damn possible in unbuckling and pulling off his boots, which was followed infuriatingly slowly by his stupidly tight pants and his underwear.

And then he slid back up, his mouth settling right between her legs as his tongue pressed against her clit. It made her hips jolt, her heels digging into his back as she grabbed at his hair and  _ pulled, _ feeling the moan that rumbled through him. She didn’t know how he could do all this teasing without being overcome by the need to actually  _ fuck _ her. But she pulled again, and with another needy noise he dragged his tongue up through her folds one more time before propping himself up on his elbows and looking up at her, eyes feverish.

“God, Ilya, I didn’t get these candles for you to sit here and  _ tease me _ all night-”

But with a little bit of a scramble and lips sealed with hers, he bore down on her, his weight settling over her and alleviating just a little of her desire. She felt his cock drag between her legs and shuddered, pulling him down until she could feel every inch of his skin against hers. And then he started pushing in, and it was like her body completely whited out, overstimulated in the best way possible. And Julian’s body was a sort of ruthless pleasure, drawing out  _ screams _ as he pounded into her, noises that she never thought she could make during sex, sobbing and crying out in a hazed-out bliss.

She didn’t know how many times she finished, or how many times Julian did, or how many times he pulled and pushed her body into new positions that seemed to only draw their pleasure out even more.

All she knew was that by the time the candles burned down enough to go out, the sheets were covered in an honestly disgusting mix of various bodily liquids, Verun’s body was sore beyond belief, and Julian’s torso made him look like he had been mauled by one of the fantastical animals he always jokingly claimed to have fought when he was late. The bite marks were uh… particularly nasty looking. Maybe Verun had gone a bit overboard with it, but Julian had seemed to enjoy it… a lot.

When they were both done they just kind of flopped down together and crashed, falling asleep the moment their eyes were closed.

~~~

The next morning Verun woke up and felt absolutely  _ wrecked. _ Without even moving she could feel the pulsing soreness of every muscle in her body, especially between her legs. The feeling was comparable to what she imagine what it would be like to set about grinding her clit against tree bark for an hour. She groaned quietly and shoved her face into the (thankfully clean) pillows, feeling Julian shifting around next to her.

“Well… good morning, my love.” He hummed, and she opened one eye to see him in a vaguely similar position as her, flat on his stomach.

“Morn,” she said through a yawn. “I feel like I died last night.”

“Is that a good thing?” He chuckled and Verun grinned into the pillow. “I’m kind of debating on that as well, I don’t think I can move anything from my hips and lower.”

“God, yeah.” She sighed and yawned again, giggling as he echoed the yawn with an annoyed groan. “I’m not going to the shop today. My aunt will have to carry me there.”

“Fair enough. The shop will have to survive without you. And the clinic will have to deal with sad, hungover singles without me.”

“Just imagine if we were one of the sex-hungover couples that showed up there,” Verun said with a snicker. It happened every once in a while, when couples went over the standard eight-candle package and tried for something like… twelve. Bodies really started getting hurt at that point, especially if the candles burned for too long.

Julian just snickered in return. “Nah, we’re smarter than that… now, while I think I can move without feeling like death, you want to take a bath?”

“That sounds like ten kinds of phenomanal,” Verun said. “But you’ll still have to carry me.”

With a groan, Julian pushed himself to his feet, his legs wobbly from all the exercise the night before. He grimaced and stared down at the bed. “Maybe… we should uh. Clean the sheets before we get back into bed tonight.” And then he hauled her up into his arms, and Verun could feel the shakiness in his legs as he waddled them over to the washroom to clean up.

After the bath, the two of them stumbled down the stairs, half-dressed and laughing to each other, only to find Asra with a book on his lap and a mug of tea in his hand. He glanced up, his eyes dancing between the two of them as his face gradually grew more and more red.

Verun and Julian both froze, Verun making sure her baggy shirt was uh… covering herself well enough. “Asra! I- uh- shit. How long have you been here?”

With that Asra’s eyes just kind of went wide and he stared back down at his book, growing more red by the second. Verun didn’t know what to make of his reaction, wracking her mind until she found what she was looking for.

And then her face went red. She felt like she was about to combust on the spot.

“Oh my god,” she whimpered pitifully. “Oh my hell. Fuck. Shit.”

“Uh… love? Verun? Whhhhat?” Julian didn’t look much better than her, his flush spreading down his neck and to his shoulders.

Verun sat down on the wooden floors, her face buried in her hands. Asra’s eyes only grew wider, mortified, as she muttered to herself just loud enough for Julian to hear.

“He’s been here all night,” she squeaked. “After he came back from his friend’s, I invited him over…”

Needless to say, once Verun’s aunt heard about it, she nearly died laughing.


	15. Their Dreams (Pre-game)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sharing his heart comes with some unseen consequences. Thankfully she doesn't remember most of them, so he has an excuse to be honest with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was replaying the prologue and realized that Asra didn't seem surprised when ur MC just kinda popped up in one of his dreams... So yeah.
> 
> Set after the plague but before the game starts.

Asra sighed. Verun sat beside him in the sand, blue ocean and colorfully glittering sky spreading out before them in all directions. Even in his travels, in his dreams, she followed him. She stared out at the sea beside him, thinking it was her own dream, not realizing she had joined him for so many of these dreams, in between the arcana realms and the waking world. He didn't know how he knew that it was _ her, _ instead of a figment of his own mind, but he was sure of it.

She reached over to take his hand, her eyes inspecting his skin, the sturdy but delicate bones underneath. The contact with her solidified the fact that she was real, sharing his dream like she had been since he brought her back to life. His hand squeezed hers, knowing that the glazed look in her eyes meant she wouldn't remember this. She rarely remembered any of these, and wrote half of them off as her own dreams.

"I love you, Verun. I wish you remembered that."

Her voice was far away, as spaced out as her eyes. "I love you too. If only you did outside of my dreams."

His heart wrenched painfully in his chest, and with the grimace she had he knew she could feel it too. "I love you in real life, too. I always have, Verun." This was the only place he could be so honest with her. He hated it, the fact that she could never remember, but it eased a part of his aching heart.

"Tell me," she whispered, growing tired. She would be waking up in the shop soon, getting up to take care of her business as usual, waiting for Asra to return from his travels once more. Maybe he should return home soon.

"Ever since I met you…" Asra stared out at the dream ocean as the sky started to turn white. "Ever since I stumbled into your shop, when you let me sleep in your bed with you, I fell in love. You were so awkward over the oddest things, dancing around the fact that we cuddled every night half under your aunt's bed. You would blush so much when I made fun of your reaction to spicy foods, even though I knew you would act like it was worse than it was for you just so I would laugh. I used to get you wrapped up in all sorts of trouble with my pranks, even when you were just trying to stop me from being a chaotic child, as you called me."

He felt her start falling asleep, her head settling in his lap. Her hair was soft but dirty - she hadn't been taking care of herself enough without him there. "I kissed you for the first time at the Masquerade, and you didn't even realize it was me because you were drunk," he laughed quietly, her head bouncing on his thigh with the movement. "But when I took my mask off you said that you were glad it was me, because you didn't have anyone else that you'd be okay with having kissed you. And I felt so special when you said that, I thought I would die."

She stilled completely next to him, and as he ran a hand through her silky, greasy hair, her body dissolved into a sudden swarm of butterflies. He watched them go, disappearing too fast into the white horizon, and closed his eyes.

"And you stole my heart," he whispered.


	16. First Meetings (BTP)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Verun really didn't like the Masquerade - there was too much bustle, too much noise. And her aunt had left her on her own tonight, deciding that she was old enough to handle herself. And Verun is fine with it... she is. Until a boy stumbles into the shop and captures her along with his whims.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woop woop, first run in with Asra and Verun, in which Verun is too awkward to function.

Verun was huddling just inside the doorway, watching the festivities take place outside of the window as she hid from the sound of booming fireworks. She had never been particularly fond of the sound of the explosions, though of course she liked the pretty lights they gave. But tonight, she wanted to keep the crowds out of the shop that she had been told to run while her aunt joined the festivities. She was grumbling to herself about her woeful position, before there was a significant change in the volume of the crowd outside.

Everything grew somewhat hushed for a moment, Verun actually able to hear the music playing on the corner outside, until it flew up into a cacophonous roar. She squeezed her eyes shut, leaning back against the wall, and then-

The door slammed open to let in a whole new level of noise, only just stopped from hitting her because of the stone she had set, and suddenly a boy tumbled in. Verun didn't care to deal with any crowd of people, so she slammed the door shut again before anyone else could fall into the shop. She took a deep breath, cursing her raging social anxiety, and turned to look at the boy sitting calmly on the stone floor.

"Hey, you're not- you're not supposed to be in here, the shop is closed." Verun shifted on her feet, frowning a little.

But the boy just grinned. "But the sign says that it's open."

"It does-" Verun turned to the window, seeing the sign flipped the wrong way. "It. Ugh. Whatever, it got flipped around, almost none of the shops around here are open during the Masquerade anyway."

He just shrugged, standing up and brushing himself off as Verun flipped the sign around again. "Anyway, my name is Asra, nice to meet you."

She looked at him and huffed just a little. "Well Asra, I think I have to ask you to uh… uhm." She slowed to a stop, not sure how to politely ask him to get out and leave her alone.

But he was already wandering around the shop, purple eyes inspecting the dried herbs hanging from the cupboards, the crystal ball and other magical implements in the display case. His clothes were rough, patches poorly sewn on while his shoes were barely holding together. Obviously homeless, though the way he eyed the items around the shop didn't seem like the way most homeless would, like they were about to steal something. Instead his gaze seemed almost… familiar, like he was eyeing the shop's wares looking for ingredients for a spell.

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and grinned suddenly. "So, you're the owner of this shop? You seem a bit too young, don't you think?"

"God, no." Verun sighed. "My aunt owns the shop, she just left me in charge for the night while she went out and joined the celebrations."

"Well that's rude. You're what, fourteen, fifteen?" He grinned wider under his overgrown bush of fluffy white curls as she pouted.

"I'm sixteen! I don't know why everybody thinks I'm so young, jeez." She brushed her short hair out of her eyes and glowered at him. "I'm-"

"So do you know how to do any magic?" He cut her off with a twinkle in his eye, like he knew  _ exactly _ how he was annoying her and distracting her at the same time.

"Yeah, I know some things…" Verun huffed and looked away. "My aunt has been teaching me what she knows."

"You want me to teach you some?" He stepped closer with a sly look. "Or I could give you a tarot reading, I'm good at those."

"Uh huh." Verun frowned at him even more. "I'm sure you are, but I'm not going to pay for you to con your way through-"

"Hey now, who said I was going to make you pay for anything?" He leaned closer, a tarot deck seemingly appearing in his hand. It looked beautiful, drawn and painted backs matching each other perfectly. Verun could feel a lick of awareness at the very edges of her mind, tasting like magic. These were powerful cards indeed. "It's my treat."

Still, she felt doubtful. But if he wasn't going to make her pay… well, it was a distraction from the loudness of the party outside.

So, she played along with him, intending to kick him out of the shop in just a minute… but the minute turned into an hour, and the frown stuck on her face was broken by a quick smile with more ease and frequency as the hours wore on. Verun even found herself enjoying this boy's company, being able to relax around his witty jokes and easy demeanor. Relaxing enough, even, too forget what time it was, and how tired she was.

She was jolted awake by the sound of the shop door opening. Her movement disturbed Asra beside her, making him give a tiny groan as he curled up on the couch into an even tighter ball.

Her aunt stopped, staring at the two of them. A magical light appeared the hand not occupied by gift bags and her Masquerade mask and she raised an eyebrow.

"Verun, when did you get a friend?"

She let out a tired yet decidedly offended noise, rubbing her eyes. "I  _ have _ friends, aunt Julie."

"Uh huh." She smiled at Asra as he finally raised his head to look at her. "Welcome in, friend. Were you and been planning on having a sleepover?"

"I mean if we could that'd be nice," he said with a yawn. Verun couldn't  _ believe _ his cockiness. "We can't exactly have one at my place."

"And where would your place be, exactly?"

"Nowhere," he answered with a smirk. "I got alleyways to call my home."

"Hmm, well that just won't do. Come on up, you can share a bed with either me or Verun, is her choice." Her aunt paused before Verun could even get a word in, the light in her hand dimming and flickering for a moment as she leveled a glare at the white haired boy. "And no funny business, or I'll have you thrown into the jail."

Asra simply raised his hands with a shrug. "I'll keep my hands perfectly to myself in such ways ma'am, though I will say that I'm a cuddler."

Her aunt nodded, and again she smiled at Verun. "So, what will it be? Sharing my bed or yours?"

Verun huffed and rolled her eyes. "Mine. Your pillows take up half the room you might have on there."

The woman laughed, waving the two of them upstairs. "C'mon, up to bed you monsters. Teenagers, you'd think that you can get yourselves to bed."

Asra stood to follow her as the woman disappeared up the stairs. He had a small grin, but he bowed down to Verun anyway and offered her a hand.

"Well, I'm sorry for barging in on your sleeping space, but honestly I'd rather not sleep on the street on the night of the Masquerade. Too many drunks looking for fights and otherwise," he explained, his apology sincere as far as he could tell. "But, if you really want me to go, I'll slip out the door before your aunt can know I'm gone."

Verun took his hand, rolling her eyes. "It's fine. If my aunt is okay with it, there's no reason to kick you out."

She could barely look at him as he smiled, softer now. But he didn't say anything more as she led the way up the stairs. She pulled her sleeping mattress out from under her aunt's bed, unfolding the blanket that she kept with it. It wasn't much, but it was comfortable, and the blanket was just enough to keep her warm in winter and cool in the summer.

She settled in the small bed, coming to terms with the fact that she would have to cuddle with Asra, when he simply flopped down onto the mattress. He barely missed her knee where she sat cross-legged, making her squeak in alarm. But then he laughed and grinned up at her, and with a huff she sank down next to him.

Life as usual had been upset, and Verun was upset by the change, but maybe… well. Either Asra would be gone by the end of tomorrow, or she had just made a friend that she hoped would be a good one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And yeah, Verun did just let him sleep in her bed because she was too awkward to not let Asra in.


	17. Romantic Troubles (BTP)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Verun can't handle her emotions towards Asra. Not when he's the closest - and really ONLY - friend of hers that makes her feel so comfortable. Unfortunately she has to talk about it... though she meets a new friend along the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aha guess what, she gets a baby dingo. Baby dingos are absolute munchkins and I adore them.

Verun really didn’t know when Asra became part of her schedule, but… well, she couldn’t really complain at this point. The boy had disappeared for a few days after the Masquerade, after eating breakfast with her and her aunt. He had waved with an enigmatic smirk and disappeared down an alleyway, and when he came back it was with a small handful of change and a pack of foods. Her aunt had been out on a house call, so Verun sat with him munching on dried fruits and nuts.

And then he just kind of… stayed the night again.

Same with the night after that.

At some point his presence next to her on the mattress she had once had to herself became a norm, the two of them sprawled out and whispering their wandering thoughts to each other while her aunt slept. Verun didn’t know why it felt so natural for him to be there, but quietly she… appreciated it. She really didn’t have any friends, just other people around her age and older that she would stop and talk to in the market every once in a while.

He didn’t exhaust her mentally like everyone else did. He was quiet and respectful about her boundaries when he could tell she needed it, and he let loose when she could handle it, dragging her around the city to places she had never been to. Asra, against all odds with how they had met, was comfortable to be around for her - a miracle for Verun, who was incredibly picky with the people she enjoyed being around.

But it also meant that it was… awkward, when she realized that hm. Maybe- maybe she liked Asra more than she thought she did.

She found herself leaning against his shoulder when they sat on the shop’s couch together as her aunt did tarot readings, comfortable to the point of nearly falling asleep in the quiet. Or she would hold onto his hand a bit longer than strictly necessary when they were walking through the market looking for things to bring back to the shop, hands linked to make sure they didn’t lose each other in the crowd. She did her best to not make it obvious, but every once in a while Asra’s hand would tighten around hers and he would _ grin, _ blindingly bright and- _ gods, _ why did he have to be so gorgeous?

It wasn’t fair, her heart wasn’t able to keep up with how much she felt. Was this love? Or was she just infatuated by the fact that he was closer to her than anyone else she knew? Verun found herself staring at him more and more recently, her gaze soft but scrutinizing as she tried to figure out her own feelings. He caught her staring many times but - maybe it was just the effect he had on her - she didn’t feel the need to look away.

And then on her seventeenth birthday, he finally kissed her.

It was just a simple press of the lips, a shy offering just before the clock struck midnight as they laid together in their bed. It was something of a comfort, a loving embrace that made her heart drop faster than it had when he had gotten Verun to jump from the low cliffs around the city with him.

“Happy birthday, Verun,” he murmured to her, his eyes dancing with a simple pleasure. Oh, she wanted to see that glimmer from him more often, but she was so scared.

“Thanks,” she squeaked out. Her mind was a mess now from the simple gesture. Then Asra’s hand found hers, fingers curling around hers as he shifted backwards to give her some room.

Then his other hand came up, brushing over her cheek and into her hair, making her relax a little. “Is this okay?” His gaze gradually became more concerned, and Verun forced herself to nod. She was alright, just _ fine _ with this, it’s exactly what she wanted- but now she was second guessing herself, her heart turning tail and running into her throat, choking her words.

But Asra seemed to understand, and slowly he drew her closer to tuck her face against the base of his neck, hiding her expression away from himself. She took a deep breath, her heart hammering even as she simply let her arm lay over his side, laying like they usually did - give or take the hand holding.

But eventually his breathing slowed into patterns of sleep and she slowly, _ agonizingly slowly, _ pulled her arm away and quietly curled in on herself as thoughts sprinted through her mind until her head ached. Could she really do this, have a relationship with the one person that had been her friend for barely a few months? _ Should _ she? What if a romantic relationship was too… too much for her? What if it was ruined by something she did, or said, and she lost not only the romantic relationship but her best friend as well?

What if she lost him, the one person that could make her feel comfortable doing even the wildest things? The one that she had come to depend on when she was lost in the many confusing social interactions she struggled in? Would it be worth the affections now if she ruined things between them? What if she already had?

Her thoughts were still spinning by the time she managed to fall asleep.

~~~

And the morning wasn’t much better, unfortunately.

She woke up to the press of lips against her forehead, the blankets twisted around her legs and all the way up to her waist. As her eyes fluttered open she found Asra laying beside her, looking rather amused despite the fact that she had apparently taken all of the blankets with her in her sleep.

“Well good morning, sleepy head,” he teased. “Did you sleep well?”

She made a noise in the back of her throat, nodding dumbly. God, he was so pretty in the morning, with his mess of cloud-like bedhead. But that train of thought led her to remember the kiss, and all her thoughts after that, and the pitiful realization that she couldn’t _ do _ this. She couldn’t just have him tied to her, like a relationship would entail. Friends, nothing more, and she could deal with her pining on her own time.

But he just laughed and sat up, morning light playing across the skin of his torso as he stretched with a wide yawn. Aunt Julie was probably already getting the shop ready to open, which Verun was distantly grateful for if it meant that she got to steal a few moments alone with Asra.

“So, any plans for today, Verun?” He smiled at her, rising to his knees and shuffling around for one of the shirts that she had gotten him, a couple of sizes too large but, as he put it, infinitely more comfortable because of it.

“Not that I know of,” she mumbled, rubbing her eyes with one hand. “Aunt Julie didn’t mention anything to me yesterday, at least.”

He hummed as he slipped the shirt over his head, thoughtful. “Well, maybe we can go out and talk to the baker, try to get his pumpkin bread recipe again? Or we can hang out at the docks, I’ve heard whispers that there’s a boat scheduled to come by with some interesting wares.”

“Docks sounds good,” she said, a yawn finally forcing its way out of her. “It’s been a little while since we’ve been down there.”

He grinned at her and nodded, finally standing up properly. “Alright, I’ll check in with Aunt Julie and we can head out then? You should get ready.”

Verun nodded and watched as he bounded down the steps, before she sat up and disentangled her legs from the blanket. If she was lucky, Asra wouldn’t do anything about the kiss last night… if not, there was a talk that was going to have to be had, and the thought of that kind of scared her. But she would deal with things, one thing at a time.

~~~

“So, about last night…” Asra started slowly, his face flushing as he kept his eyes in front of them. His shoulder brushed against hers as they walked by the docks together. “I uh… I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable, Verun. I know you’re awkward about things but the last thing I want is for you to feel awkward around _ me-” _

“It’s-” Verun blurted the word out louder than she meant to, freezing as she cut Asra off. Her own face flushed and her steps slowed, but Asra simply led her out of the traffic of the street and into a shadowed alley. “It’s… it’s fine. I… I liked it, I think?” Her voice rose in pitch as she spoke, and she couldn’t meet his eyes.

“Really?” His voice sounded so happy, like he was about to burst with it- Verun felt awful.

“I don’t know,” she whispered.

Asra’s hands pressed to her upper arms, rubbing them briskly as if he was trying to warm her up. “What do you mean?”

“I mean…” She swallowed hard. “I- I-”

Then his demaneor shifted, dropping into something sad- something that she wasn’t expecting, and something that she _ definitely _ did not like seeing from Asra. “Verun… if you want me to leave, if that wasn’t okay, you can just say so. I can leave you in peace without question, you don’t have to explain anything to me.”

She shook her head vehmently. “Oh, no, no, I just…” She took his hands with her own and squeezed lightly. “Asra, I just- I don’t know? If I can have a _ relationship _ with you, if that makes sense- you’re just, you’re my _ best _ friend, really my own real friend and I don’t want to mess that up and risk _ everything _ with you, you know? And it’s- it’s. Oh, I don’t know, but I care about you a lot and I don’t know how I could do with everything-”

But then Asra stepped forward, letting go of her hands and nearly trapping her against the wall as his arms slid around her. “It’s okay Verun, I get it.”

She nearly sobbed in relief, leaning against him as she hugged him tightly. “... okay. Just, don’t go disappearing on me, alright? You’re not allowed to bail on me at this point.”

He chuckled quietly and squeezed her in his arms. Though he accepted her explanation so easily, there was a sense of weight to him that wasn’t there before. “Yeah, I know. You aren’t either, okay? You awkward bean.”

She snorted and laughed into his shoulder. “Whatever, you chaos child.”

They stood there for a few moments more, until Verun heard a soft whine from down the alleyway. She raised her head from his shoulder, letting Asra go as he stepped back. It sounded like an animal, something in pain, or something lonely and needy.

Verun was the one to step down the alley, an urge drawing her forwards like a hand balled in the collar of her shirt dragging her along. She was the one to crouch and lift the broken, half-rotting box to expose a tiny (too small, too weak to be left alone) form, eyes still closed and soft baby claws trying to scratch at the confines holding it.

It was some sort of canine, she could tell, it’s pitiful barely-there whines escaping it with puffs of air as it’s open mouth tried to find something to suckle on. Verun couldn’t help but scoop it up, her eyes wide as the pup squeaked in offense. But then the warmth in her hands had it wriggling, surprisingly strong in her hands as it hunted for the milk that its mother was supposed to supply.

Her gaze lifted up to Asra, who stared at her with wide eyes.

“I think… I think we need to get back to the shop,” she said, feeling breathless.

He nodded, seeming tongue-tied, and offered her a hand up. She took it and he helped haul her to her feet, leading the way back as he glanced at the pup oddly every once in a while.

She couldn’t help but think, _ maybe he’s jealous. _


	18. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was just a normal night - until Verun saw a flash of something that was much too familiar for her to comprehend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is set just like... maybe two or three weeks after the end of the game, tbh. Also Ranger is a salty boy but I love him <3

**** Verun, for a moment, didn't realize that the wail that split the air came from herself. She only knew that her head felt like it was splitting apart, the pain growing and growing and _ burning _ through her like memories of ash and fire. And she was falling forward to her knees, eyes locked onto the porch of the house they shared, at least before Julian was there with his arms around her to lower her down gently, his face suddenly pale and terrified as he tried to check over her.

"Verun? Verun, what's wrong?"

It was all she could do to shove his hands away as she sobbed, a creature trotting out of the shadows of the night. Julian moved aside to see the canine, his body stalling and a look coming over him, like he was on the edge of remembering as well.

Memories tore at her mind, bright and blinding and passing through her too fast to understand what she was seeing. But she knew this animal, this creature, this companion, in a way that made her feel like her body was being torn to bits. Like she was burning and burning and  _ burning, like the fires that had taken her life the first time- _ but the moment her fingers brushed his fur the pain in her mind calmed, and as the dingo pressed against her more fully and licked at her face to clear her tears, her sobbing suddenly quieted. Julian sat close, confused and unsure of what he should do, if he could even help at all.

"Oh, Ranger…" Verun pulled him closer until the pup was in her lap and she could bury her face into the rough fur at his shoulder like she used to. "Oh, I'm sorry, it's been so long."

_ You forgot, _ his mind snapped in her mind, rough but familiar and soothing like a warm summer day.  _ You've been alone for too long. _

_ "I've _ been alone?" She sniffled, leaning back and wiping her face with her sleeve. "Where have  _ you _ been? Has Asra been keeping you from me or something?"

_ No. I've been taking care of myself. Better than you have, firebug. _ His dark eyes turned to her, at least for a moment before he lightly butted his head against hers.  _ I've been watching though. _

"I'm glad you're alright…" She smoothed her hands over his sides and took a deep breath. "You're so thin now though, I can feel all your bones… you sure you've been eating enough?"

A whine echoed in his chest, and Verun felt guilty, though she couldn't say why.

_ I've always been too thin for your tastes… you've forgotten so much, haven't you? _

"I have… I've forgotten a lot. I'm sorry Ranger, I didn't mean to." Her eyes welled up with tears again, before her familiar shoved his head beneath hers and Julian spoke up, sounding dumbfounded.

"Verun, do you… know this dog?"

She turned her head to look at him, scratching Ranger's ears as she did so. "Ilya… this… this is Ranger, my… familiar."

She watched as Julian blinked, his mouth opening for a moment before snapping shut again. "Not to sound offensive, but… when did you get a familiar?"

Verun laughed shortly. "I'm not sure myself, honestly. Asra might know, I think…"

_ I can tell you that, _ Ranger supplied.  _ If you won't forget this time. _

She bumped her own head against his and smiled just a tiny bit. "I'll try not to, I promise."

"This is going to be a bit strange to get used to, isn't it?" Julian shook his head, smiling a little despite his confusion. "You just kind of talking to a dog."

"Dingo," she corrected. "From Oscad, I think…?"

_ Oh, so you do remember some things. _

She flushed and rolled her eyes. "Yes, Ranger. I have some random facts stuck in my head, but… I dunno, not a lot of actual information."

_ It’s better than nothing. _

“Verun…” Julian reached out to take her hand, hesitant, like she was going to push him away again. “We should probably go inside, the guard will come around soon enough and I’m not sure that we want them to be questioning us too much.”

Verun smiled. Old habits die hard, especially with Julian. He had been running from authorities for too long to start trusting the city guard to not arrest him, even now that he was the unofficial/official court physician. But she nudged Ranger out of her lap and took his hand, and he gently pulled her up to her feet. It was only a few meters to the door, but she felt so tired- yet still, her body took over and as she opened the door she stepped aside to let her familiar in before her like it was the most natural thing to do.

She leaned on Julian’s arm as he led the way through the house, tired beyond what she should be. Did memories really take so much out of her now? Maybe. During all the rush and tumble around the Masquerade she had gotten used to the exhaustion that came with the investigation. But then she noticed Ranger sniffing around the corners, his ears flicking in annoyance as he huffed audibly.

"Are you alright, Ranger?"

_ Somebody took out my pillows… I'd be offended if it hadn't been so long. _

"Well… you can come up and sleep in the room with me and Julian," she murmured quietly, barely thinking about her words. "We have some extra pillows."

For a few long moments he simply stared at the two of them as they stilled. He seemed almost judgmental, though not in… a harsh, or unkind way.

_ You've changed, Verun. _

She made a questioning noise in the back of her throat, but the dingo simply padded up the stairs with the faint  _ click-click-click _ of claws on the wooden floors. Julian bumped her head with his chin to get her attention and she leaned on him a bit more.

"So… what was that?"

"Mmm? Oh, Ranger was just saying something about some pillows being missing in the corner. He seemed rather offended."

Julian hummed lowly. "There were some pillows in the corner, they were… huh. They were covered in dog hair, so I tossed them to some kids that needed them."

Verun smiled a little. "....... You gave away his beeeedddd…" She felt kind of woozy, though she tried to pull her thoughts together. Annoyingly enough she could feel the dopey smile spreading on her face, realizing that she was… a bit too far gone in her tiredness.

Julian seemed to catch onto that fact as well as he gave his own infuriatingly  _ adorable _ grin. "Aw, you're so cute when you're tired, Verun. Let's get you up to bed, alright?"

"But where will Ranger sleeeep?" The drunken tiredness was hitting hard now all of a sudden. That was dangerous, she didn't need to supply Julian with any more teasing material.

"Well, I believe that you invited him up to sleep with us, my dear." And then Julian swept her up into his arms, holding her close to him as he carried her up the stairs. "And now I think he's waiting for us."

Verun held onto him as he made his way up the stairs, opening the door for Ranger and following the dingo in. Julian set her down on the bed and slid his arms partially out from under her as he started to pull away… and then he just stopped, as Verun held onto him. He couldn't really move with her arms circled around his neck, though he shifted to give her a Look™.

"Love… you gotta let me go."

"No."

"I need to take my boots off, though."

"No."

"Verun…"

"Nope."

"Schatz? Liebling? Please?"

"Nnnnupe, you're mine." She giggled at the foreign pet names, having no idea what they meant in whatever language(s?) Julian decided to use this time. But they made her feel warm and fuzzy as he raised his hands to pull himself out of her grip, so she allowed him to release her hold to bask in the feels. So she laid back and closed her eyes, quickly feeling her body surrender to the confines of sleep as Julian murmured to Ranger, or maybe he was talking to her, but the next thing she knew was his arms around her again as he awkwardly drag-shuffled her body more properly into bed.

She heard his chuckle in her ear and couldn't control the grin that split her features, trying to turn her head to kiss him without actually opening her eyes. It was a sloppy attempt but Julian turned his head and pressed his lips to hers more tenderly. And then he was gone, pulling her boots off, followed by her pants. A little wiggling persuaded him to let her keep her shirt, though he did push it up enough to get to her binder that she had worn for the day.

The moment Julian actually settled down next to her enough to be comfortable, she was asleep.

And then her dreams started. Or memories, maybe.

But for once they were kind to her, simply dreams of watching a pup grow.


	19. The Blanket Hoarder (BTP)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A sleepy little drabble~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just with stuff with Verun and Asra before Julian came around 030 just a thing to kinda showcase their friendship a bit, because I'm love. Set somewhere around chapter 16/17

Verun woke up early in the morning. Too early. She laid sprawled out on her floor-bound mattress and glared at the ceiling, heartily annoyed at the bundle of soft, comfortable breathing next to her. It was cold in the room, cold enough that even with her pants and long shirt she felt the prickling of goosebumps on her skin as she shivered. And Verun, whether she liked it or not, could not sleep if she was cold.

It was at least an hour or two before sunrise, four or five before her aunt would even begin to stir to prep the shop for opening, and Asra had stolen the blanket.  _ Again. _

She tried poking at him, nudging his back with an elbow, but that served only to make him curl up into a tighter ball. Then she tried shaking him a little, even tugging on the blanket to try to take even just a corner back for herself, but that only made him cling to it even more heartily. Finally, with an exasperated huff, she gave up and half curled herself around him, half slung herself over him. If he was going to be the warm one here, she was determined to leech off his warmth until she was comfortable enough to sleep.

But apparently,  _ that _ was the way to wake him up, at least enough that he let out a small questioning noise and peered over his shoulder at her with adorably tired eyes.

"Frrr-un?"

The intensely bastardized version of her name nearly made her laugh, and it probably would have if she wasn't now caught between her annoyance and a metric fuckton of embarrassment. He had been crashing at the shop with her and her aunt Julie for a while now, but she was forever an awkward teen mess. So now, to be caught with her limbs all sprawled out over Asra to steal his warmth - instead of  ** _I don't know, finding another blanket_ ** \- was mortifying for her still, only slightly lessened by the fact that they were best friends.

"Sorry, I uh-" she kinda scrambled away from him, nearly shoving herself off the edge of the mattress in doing so. "You stole the blanket again," she muttered sheepishly. She was glad her aunt was an amazingly heavy sleeper, or the woman would  _ never _ let her live this down (though her chances were nearly as bad with Asra).

But Asra just untangled himself from the blankets, as well as he could, and held the blanket open on her side so that she could slide in next to him. And this time he was the one that cuddled up to her, his skin shockingly warm against hers. He gave a slight hum, placing his head against her shoulder as they got comfortable together.

He yawned and let out a slow sigh, on the edge of sleep once more. "... Sorry, Verun. Didn't realize you were so cold."

She huffed just a little but still let herself press more fully against his chest. "It's whatever, you blanket hoarder…"

Asra quietly laughed, shaking with the effort of keeping it quiet. "Alright, you grump. Go back to sleep."

"Gladly." And Verun closed her eyes with a much less aggrieved yawn, threading a leg between his and pressing his face more into her neck as she settled in.

Within five or ten minutes they were both asleep again, the room filled with the sound of quiet breathing and tiny snores.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, Verun's name is pronounced Vehr-run... if that helps at all. <3


	20. Whoops (BTP)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asra is a chaos child. Verun gets dragged along. Screes happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyway Verun is as close as I could get to a self-insert character without feeling weird about myself so yeah. Screeching is a thing.
> 
> Also this is set about a year or two after chapters 16/17/19 :) so Ranger is no longer a pup and he's officially connected to Verun as her familiar

Asra and Verun crouched behind a line of crates being unloaded from a ship that had just come into harbor. She felt awfully, intensely childish doing something like this, but… these men were definitely pirates. They just gave off that sort of vibe, as Asra said. Rough and tumble, metallic teeth shining when they called to each other in forgein accents almost too thick to understand. Some of them didn’t have too much of those heavy, intense accents of course. But the two of them had long decided to skip over that fact.

As it were, the two of them had spent at least a good half an hour creeping from crate to barrel, just watching the men as they went around what seemed to be ordinary ship care… whatever that might be. Asra said that it was normal, for the most part. Verun wouldn’t know, she didn’t spend nearly enough time down at the docks to know what was normal or not.

And she was bored of just watching.

"Asra, why don’t we just go and buy something for lunch? I’m starving, and I don’t trust Ranger to not go sniffing up some lady’s skirt with this much time alone," she whispered loudly to him, even as he hissed for her to be quiet, grinning widely under those wild curls of his.

"Oh come on, Verun. Don’t you want to catch these guys in the act?"

"In the act of  _ what? _ Do you expect them to just put a knife to someone’s throat, shake them down for what they’re worth?" Verun frowned. She was tired and hungry, and her thighs and legs ached from crouching down for so long, trying to avoid the glances of the men.

Asra paused. "Well, no, but-"

"You two  _ really _ aren’t as good at hiding as you think you are. I could teach you a few things-"

Verun let out a literal  _ screeee _ as a couple of booted feet landed behind her and Asra, falling hard onto her ass in surprise as she scrambled around to look at the new person. Apparently her inverted scream was enough to cut off whatever dialogue that he had planned as the guy stood there, hands half on his hips and half reaching out in his own surprise. She slapped a hand over her mouth, staring up at him as her face went absolutely red.

"I, uh. Huh. Wasn’t expecting a sound like  _ that. _ Are you okay?" He peered down at her, looking wholly too concerned about her.

Then Asra started cracking up, holding a hand over his abdomen as he curled into himself. "Ve-Verun! What the hell was  _ that?!" _

"Shut up!" She tried to bark the order at him, but it came out more as an embarrassed whine. "I panicked!"

Then the tall guy in front of them started chuckling as well, leaning his weight to one side as he smirked at her. "Uh huh. Pretty plain to see that you’re not from down around the shady bits of town, huh?"

Asra snickered. "Hey now, don’t be too mean to her."

Verun could feel her face heating up even more, even as she tried to contain her already out-of-control blush. "Leave me aloooone, Asra."

The white-haired magician simply continued laughing to himself, leaning back against the crates as he grinned widely. "Nah, I’d rather not. That’s a story for your aunt."

"God, noooooo." Verun folded over herself and hid her head behind her legs. "You’re the wooooorst."

"Well, it seems like introductions have already had between you two," the stranger said with an audible grin as he dropped into a crouch, getting a closer look at the two of them. "I’m Julian, by the way. Nice to meet you gremlins."

"Hey, I prefer the term ‘chaos connoisseur’ myself," Asra stated with a matching grin. "Nice to meet you anyway, Julian. This is Verun, she is most definitely a gremlin."

"Wrong, untrue, you just string me along with you on your adventures." She looked up from where her face was nestled to counter his claim, pouting. "Just like this stupid stakeout."

Julian snickered, just like Asra had. "Which is why you’re a gremlin, I suppose? Just following along in the ‘chaos connoisseur’s footsteps."

"Exactly. I like you already." Asra folded his legs under him properly and leaned over with his grin only widening. "And I’m Asra, if you didn’t catch that."

"So where did you come from?" Verun pouted a little, holding her legs close to herself as she stayed curled up. "I didn’t even hear you coming around."

"That’s cause I didn’t want you to hear me, my dear." Julian grinned. "I came from the ship you’ve been not-so-subtly spying on for the last half hour. Captain wanted me to come say hi."

She shared a suspicious glance with Asra, and while she really,  _ truly _ didn’t believe these men were pirates… the thought was there. But Julian caught it and he waved a hand between the two of them before those thoughts could go any further.

"Oh, come on. We’re not pirates," he scolded lightly, even as his smirk widened. "At least, not all of us are."

"Are  _ you?" _ Verun narrowed her eyes at him, not entirely trusting even with his easy going manner.

"Ehhhh, not  _ really. _ There are some circumstances that might require me to be, but I’d rather not run into those circumstances much." He grinned and shifted to sit cross-legged, his limbs gangly. He looked comfortable, in his tight trousers and loose white shirt, the first few buttons undone to expose a good portion of pale skin. "In all other circumstances though, I’m a doctor."

"You’re a doctor?" Now that definitely didn’t seem to match him. Verun eyed him warily. "How old are you? You seem way too young to be a doctor."

"I uh. Well, the thing is I’m not entirely… licensed? To be an official doctor? But yknow, when you gotta choose between being a doctor and having your head lopped off, I think the choice is rather obvious." He flushed red, running a hand through his auburn waves. "I’ve been working on getting through all the certifications officially though, it’s just… uggghhh. So many hoops to jump through."

"Sounds like a personal problem," Asra stated seriously, his eyes wide and innocent.

Julian kinda huffed and let his head fall back, staring up at the sky as he propped himself up on his arms and leaned back. "Buuut, would you guys want to show me around the city some? I’ve been to Vesuvia a few times before but I’m sure a couple of residents could show me around better."

Verun glanced at Asra and shrugged. She kinda liked this guy, with his dramatics and stories just waiting to be told. He shrugged back at her and she nodded. "We can show you around. Asra might be a better guide around the slums, but I’m better around my aunt’s shop."

Julian raised his head to grin at the two of them. "Sounds  _ delightful. _ Let’s go."

And then the three of them were on their feet, Verun letting Asra lead just a step ahead of herself as Julian fell in alongside her. She let out a loud, piercing whistle that made Julian grimace next to her, but in the next moment Ranger was loping towards her with his tongue lolling out of his mouth as he grinned. The dingo weaved his way between the two of them, trotting close to Verun’s side.

With that, the adventuring crew was complete - a day of fun ahead of them, a new potential friend by their side.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to yell at me about Arcana stuff (or just character stuff in general if that's your jam) at my tumblr
> 
> @the-only-universe-here


End file.
